An invitation to Prayer …

“Get Near to God so that you can hear from God.” - Dr. R. Lamar Vest, Former Church of God Gerneral Overseer

An invitation to prayer is an invitation to step out of the walk of common, mundane life. It is the act of moving away from everything of the world, shaking off the trials of the day and all its evils, and moving toward a new way of living––abundant living. Living a life of prayer requires placing your will alongside that of Almighty God. A prayerful life is a life satisfied with God’s anointing instead of answers. It is a search for God’s presence instead of His purpose. A prayerful life is a life that seeks God’s heart and not His hand. It is life satisfied with Him…alone.

“Praying leads you to see new paths and to hear new melodies in the air. Prayer is the breath of your life which gives you freedom to go and to stay where you wish and to find the many signs which point out the way to a new land. Praying is not simply some necessary compartment in the daily schedule of a Christian or a source of support in time of need, nor is it restricted to Sunday morning or mealtimes. Praying is living. It is eating and drinking, action and rest, teaching and learning, playing and working. Praying pervades every aspect of our lives. it is the unceasing recognition that God is wherever we are, always inviting us to come closer and to celebrate the divine gift of being alive.” - Henri J.M. Nouwen (from With Open Hands)

True prayer is the antithesis of cliché. It is not limited by time or place or boundary. Prayer can happen any where: in your closet, while driving, while exercising, while surfing the Web. This kind of prayer breaks all previous molds. It is supernatural. It begins with a desire for God... which in reality begins with God’s desire for us.

For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful. Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well; my frame was not hidden from thee, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth. Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance; in thy book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are thy thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee.… Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
- Psalm 139:13-18; 23,24